Norway Day 7, May 3, 2011

Well this would be our last full day in Norway! We left Bergen and began our journey on the Norway in a Nutshell Tour to Oslo. This was to be a LONG travel day, but perhaps the most scenic! That was certainly the truth! Our only first matter of concern at the Train Station--what to do with all of our luggage. Well--we had to take it with us every leg of the journey! Something we weren't expecting. However, we managed! Luckily all of our luggage had wheels. Our first segment took us on a train to see some of the stunning country side, the 2nd leg was on a bus-what a thrill, literally! We drove down a road that was the only road that connected Bergen to Oslo until 1984. It was one lane and had a 19 degree drop and is the steepest road in all of Europe. (Mom closed her eyes the entire time!) Big mistake, as the view was stunning! The third leg was a boat trip up a fjord! WOW!!! What can I say, it was spectacular. Something everyone should see. Worth the trip! We sat outside and although the weather was cool, our couture norwegian sweaters kept us warm!

Finally, the boat ride ended in Flam a quaint and beautiful little city, however, we felt that we were dropped off to buy lots of junk. There were shops for tourist all over, but not much else going on. However, the view was stunning!!! From Flam we embarked on a journey to Mrydal by train, we started at 2 meters above sea level and within an hour we would be at 866 meters above sea level! The train ride was spectacular and we even made some friends on the train from Austrailia (they enjoyed teasing Mom for her inability to look out the window at the stunning view). We left Mrydal on another train on our way into Olso. It was a longer ride, but still shared a lot about the landscape of Norway.

Needless to say our final approach into Oslo found us tired and anxious to find the airport hotel we were staying in. We gathered our belongings and had to laugh at our final warning as we departed from the train: "keep your belongings close as thieves are working here." Something we had not heard, experienced or even thought about the entire time in Norway, it was a very safe experience!!!

However, after tucking ourselves in at a mere 1:30 am, we were exhausted and ready to embark on our long journey home in 6 hours!!!

Mom successfully completed her pilgrimage! However, not sure when she is going to plan a return trip. Hopefully, our norwegian relatives will come to Minnesota next-it would certainly be cheaper!

Norway Day 6 - May 2, 2011

Today our plan was to experience Bergen! Bergen is a really neat city and one that should be visited if you decide to remortgage your home and visit Norway. First, Mom finally took my advice and took some melatonin. She slept soundly, until I had to wake her at 9 am! (She of course jumped out of bed, as she didn't want to miss out on our "included" breakfast buffet. That saves us nearly $50+ a day!)

Our day started out a bit rough, as the tourist center sold us tickets to a bus that wasn't operating yet, and we tried to convince the native norwegian speaking bus driver, that he had to take our tickets! Wrong bus-he said and kicked us off! After clearing the matter up we made amends with our driver and jumped back on. It was a whirlwind tour of the city, but it was great, as we NEVER would have seen it all. The buildings are very unique and very close to one another. The irony is that the city is VERY old! Some buildings dated back to 1400. It is very much a port city with a lot of water traffic. We even got to see a ship with an ice breaker on the front-it was really neat.

After our tour, we thought we would grab lunch and coffee. We ordered coffee and took out our sandwiches that we made at breakfast (something we have done nearly every day). However, Mom apparently didn't think the napkin was good enough for her today, she said she grabbed a bad from the room for her sandwich. I don't know about you, but look closely at Mom's bag-I don't think it was meant for sandwiches. Needless to say, I didn't use a bag! (Besides it is written in english-no excuse there!).

After lunch we decided to do some shopping in the famous Bergen Wooden Houses, we called it couture shopping! I think it is more expensive then Rodeo Drive. In fact (not exaggerating-a woman spent $25K on sweaters and souvenirs in front of us. Didn't even bat an eye. Mom and I merely gasped!)

Mom did secure a famous bracelet that is only made in Norway, it is made with Reindeer leather, silver and pewter. Of course, we found other treasures, but you'll have to wait and see them! Hint-we may have a norwegian sweater in our luggage!

We are trying to pack up for our final excursion, Norway in a Nutshell-Trains, Buses and Boats! We are leaving Bergen first thing in the morning and heading to Oslo. Hope to have some great pictures tomorrow.

Norway Day 5 - May 1, 2011

Today, was a travel day of sorts. We departed from Trondheim and headed to Bergen, Norway. We had to fly on Norwegian Air, what a treat! That airline has figured it out, how to make everyone happy, comfortable and on time! It was only a 50 minute flight, but I snuck some pictures from the air. We checked into our hotel, the Radissson Blu, Norge- it is a wonderful hotel. The room is fantastic, apparently we were upgraded as VIP's to the business class!

Since we are only here for a couple of days, we decided to start our sightseeing adventure. We headed out into the mall toward the famous fish market. (It is like a giant Nicollet Mall around here.) First, we had a quick stop for a couple of Norwegian Draft beers at a very popular restaurant for locals: Pepe's Pizza (you read right, the norwegians LOVE pizza). We weren't hungry yet, so we got two drafts for a mere $27 american dollars. There was a quote we read in the Norwegian Air magazine that was right on--"you need to remortage your house and put your 11 year old to work, to enjoy a long weekend in Norway." Now we know why Grandpa Nilsen left! Beautiful country, but not sure how people can even drive around here. Gas I thought was the same as ours, so I politely remarked to someone that ours was just as expensive-I feel your pain. However, he remarked "no, not really, we pay 3.00 a liter and there are three liters in a gallon." Yikes no wonder why everyone drives little cars around here.

We ended up taking the famous Floibanen furicular, Bergen's most popular attraction. It is like a giant tram that runs up Mount Floyen from the City Centre. The view at the top is stunning as you can see, but Mom elected to hang out by the Troll and stayed clear of the railings! (See any family resemblance?) It really was neat.

Then we headed back to our hotel, but first caught a glimpse of a rather unique McDonald's. (Note all of the kids in the red pants---it is a big deal around here. Apparently all high school seniors have to wear those pants and do crazy things May 1-17th! That is why they are crawling on the ground. (Noah-I tried to get you a pair, as I knew you would wear them to school-but no luck! You have to be a high school senior).

We are back in the hotel and getting things together for a day of sight seeing tomorrow. Who knows what adventure we may encounter.

Norway Day 4 - April 30

Well we are starting to adjust, but Mom is still feeling "drunk" from the jet lag. She won't take the melatonin!!! (Miracle drug for me!) The only beer she has been drinking is Ginger Ale (they actually make a special ginger ale here in Trondheim that is wonderful!)

We got up rather early again and had a delightful breakfast in the hotel. Arfin and Brit Nilsen asked if they could see us again today and take us around downtown. We accepted their invitation. As typical in Norway they arrived right on time and were excited to share their city with us. They took us for a 5+ mile walk, with a coffee and pastry break (typical in Norwegian culture-Uncle Art, now we know where you got your love for coffee. You would fit right in!). Mom of course had another norwegian ginger ale.

Trondheim is a very unique city that has some stunning architecture. Our first stop was to the Nidarosdomen, (A catheral) a famous protestant church where King Olav is buried. It was stunning inside (however, they wouldn't let me take any pictures, so I can't share that with all of you). We did get one of outside. We also were able to see Scandinavia's oldest secular building, once the Archbishop's palace, and now home to the royal crown jewels. After our coffee break, they took us over to the Gamle Bybrua (old town bridge) where they took a quick shot of Mom and I on the waterfront.

After our lengthy walk, I think Arfin could have walked the entire city (but Brit was worn out) we headed back to the hotel for a late lunch and to say our final goodbyes. Goodbye was hard for Mom (aways is!) and Arfinn said "see you next year and bring Uncle Art." It was sad to leave, as we had finally mastered our communication gap, when you don't understand, you just just laugh, smile and say yea, yea. They laugh too and then move on to the next subject.

Well we are going to rest up for our transition to Bergen tomorrow. We get to sample Norwegian Air. Their local airlines that only travels within Norway.

Norway Day 3 (Continued)

We have really enjoyed visiting and the view from Arfin and Brit's home is stunning, however, the jet lag was proving too much for Mom during our visit, my favorite remark from Mom was when we were talking about Norwegian holidays and Mom asked; "Do you celebrate Thanksgiving too?" (Sorry Mom-I had to share, I am still laughing about it).

Norway Day 3 - April 29, 2011

We woke up and had a WONDERFUL breakfast at our Hotel. The Norwegians believe in very hearty breakfast buffets, a special treat for us. (Included in the room price, saved us likely $50) They even have you make sandwiches to take with for an afternoon snack. Arfinn Nilsen our Norwegian Cousin met us at the Hotel and picked us up in his very nice Mercedes Benz and gave us a lift to explore Buvika (the Nilsen Homestead) and treated us to some wonderful Norwegian hospitality.

Our first stop was the family church where everyone was babtized and where many of the Nilsen's are buried. (Of course, I had to take lots of pictures of gravestones, but they were lovely). We also learned that one of the Nilsen's son's was the first and only people that were involved in a political murder in Norway's history. (He had the largest tombstone! He is considered a hero of sorts). Arfinn also took us to the family home, which is in the same spot, but has been remodeled overtime. (He arranged to get us access to the home, which was right on a fjord). That was extra special for Mom!

Afterward, he invited us back to his home to meet his wife, Brit and his grandson, Orjan and a reporter. Yes, you read right a reporter, someone is doing a story on our visit, apparently the relatives of the Nilsen's are famous! Can't wait to see that article, notice I didn't say read it-as I don't think we will ever be able to read it.

Brit treated us to some coffee and norwegian pastries. Afterward, we had a real norwegian meal. I have no idea what I ate, but I have a picture of it. Yes, I did eat it!

Norway Day 2-April 28, 2011

We have arrived in Trondheim Norway! A smaller airport, but our luggage made it and we are ready to meet our relatives, of course after some sleep. The language however, and the cost of transportation has been a challenge for us. Everything in Norway is VERY expensive. So we elected to grab a bus to our hotel, The Britannia Hotel in downtown Trondheim. We didn't understand the driver, and he didn't understand us...so we were dropped off about 4 blocks from our hotel. However, we found our way! The hotel is very historic and nice, but nothing like we are accustomed to in the United States, very small and simple. We decided to grab a bite at a close retaurant that was supposed to be good, one beer, one pop and some pizza-$54 dollars later, we had to laugh. Needless to say, the jetlag had taken us over, we tucked in at 2:00 p.m. in afternooon.

Patty and Penny's Norwegian Pilgrimage...2011

Day 1...Yes, it is true, I have accompanied Mom on her journey to reconnect with her Norwegian roots. After months of email exchanges with her Norwegian Relatives (using google translator) we have embarked on a long journey east. (With nearly 3 weeks of planning under our belt)! We made it to the airport with plenty of time for Mom to learn that Delta, no longer cares about customer service. Despite the fact that our tickets said we could be upgraded to 1st class, they gave our seats to someone else and stuck us back in coach! Ouch-long ride--with no sleep!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 11 - March 23, 2011

Sad to admit...this was our last full day on the island! Just as our skin was getting adjusted to the sun, our bodies have adjusted to the time change and we are finally stepping out and enjoying everything the ocean has to offer! We decided to spend a good part of the day at Hanalei Bay. Body Surfing was the activity that Noah and Leah enjoyed the most. Despite the high winds and current advisories. We found a great beach area that was clear and had wonderful waves for the kids to ride. Our only wish is that we would have rented a surf board. Everyone was making it look so easy. However, the kids did get to experience the thrill of "catching the wave!"

After a long day in the sun, we headed over to Bubba's Burgers for a late lunch! This is a must visit establishment! Bill Clinton and Adam Sandler were some recent visitors! All of us enjoyed a double bubba, except for Leah, she requested a corn dog.

We thought we would catch one final sunset from the St. Regis Hotel and a quick cocktail. It was wonderful and the music was exceptional. Dinner options weren't too great at the St. Regis, so we thought we would try the new The Tavern at Princeville on the Prince Golf course--well, it was EXCEPTIONAL!!! Food was fantastic, atmosphere was fabulous and they totally catered to the kids. The kids menu was better than most fancy restaurant entree's. This is a place we would certainly recommend and we all gave it a thumbs up!

Finally, we decided to sneak 18 holes in at the new Kauai Mini-Golf Course. This too, was a highlight. Noah allegedly beat Mom by 1 shot. I think he cheated. We all enjoyed this one! Four thumbs up!

Hopefully we get everything packed and to the airport in time. We start our journey back home tomorrow. Our flip flops should be back on the ground in Minneapolis on Friday morning--so get rid of the snow!!! Aloha!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 10 - March 22, 2011

We have really adjusted to the hawaiian way, taking it easy! Today, we started out with a visit to Hanalei Bay. We visited the famous pier and Noah and Leah posed for a quick shot! Afterward, we headed south for a little golfing (and to visit Crazy Shirts-Leah's demand! She wanted the cool shorts that changed designs when they got wet).

We golfed Puakea Golf Course in Lihue, Kauai. We had a great time, the front 9 was VERY windy, the 2nd was beautiful!!! Noah did a great job, Leah mastered putting, I loved the Nike driver that I rented and Guy only lost a dozen golf balls! Afterward we thought we would visit Scotty's BBQ in Kapaa. It was a very yummy local BBQ joint, with a stunning view right on the water! Everyone took a break from our daily fish intake, except Leah! She opted for local fish and chips!

Another great day on the island! We'll better head to bed to rest up for our final full day!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 9 - March 21, 2011

Beach Day and a Luau!!! We had a great day today. The wind has been very strong and the ocean has been wild so we thought we would check out a safe beach, as Noah wanted to snorkel and Leah wanted to swim. We visited Anini Beach Park on the North Shore. It is very safe as it has a large reef out from the beach, so the waves break very far away. Great place for the kids! Noah did some snorkeling. Not realizing his Mom's fear of fish-(I didn't have my snorkel gear on), he exclaimed "Mom-careful, don't move there is a huge fish under you." I turned into an olympic swimmer and swam to shore. Noah is really good with snorkel gear! He would wear it all of the time, if he could. Doesn't want to miss anything.

Leah loved trying out the boogie board and hanging out in the crystal clear warm water! Finally, we snuck into Hanalei for lunch and Leah scored some custom made flip flops, from the Design your own flip flops shop in Hanalei. Careful gang, Leah is a real trend setter, she has a one of a kind pair of flip flops!

To close out our evening we headed south and enjoyed a Hawaiian Luau. It was really nice, the food was good, drinks were flowing and the shows was great! We would see it again! Well, every one is tucked away in bed, so I should run. See you soon!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 8 - March 20, 2011

First day of Spring! We tried to sleep in again, but decided to visit church down on Hanalei. St. William is an open air church that is really quaint and neat to visit. Then we headed back to visit the cool surfing town of Hanalei Bay. There are so many neat shops, etc..., we visited the fish market and Noah and Dad picked out yet some more fish for me to grill tonight. Opah and Ahi...jury is still out--not sure what their favorite is yet.

We did get a chance to hang out and enjoy the park nearby. Of course playing catch, flying our kite and swinging were the favorites! Of course a dip in the pool too.

Then...I finally got this blog going again! I am sure I will still add pictures, but thought you could see what is going on, as we are negligent with our postcards too!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 7 - March 19, 2011 (Dad's Birthday!)

This was a very busy day for us! First and foremost, it was Dad's birthday! Noah and Mom went on a zipline tour (a special activity that Noah picked) and we moved north to Princeville!

The zipline tour was "AMAZING!" "The best ever." --Noah. I thought it was a stunning experience, once I got past the fear of being suspended in the air weighing more than I think is appropriate for a woman of my age and size. (I even asked if they wanted to weigh me before we left, as I was sure they needed to know. Safety was my number one concern for both of us! We took the tour with Outfitters Kauai. We took the Nui Loa trip. Our longest zip was 1800' through a valley over 350' in the air. Thrilling to say the least. We finished the trip with a dip in a dormant volcano.

Dad and Leah packed up and hung out by the pool and got another Lapperts to tide them over, while Noah and Mom played in the jungle!

Then we headed north to check into our BEAUTIFUL townhouse: Villas on the Prince-Unit #34. We really lucked out getting to know the owner, as she too is from Minnesota and has such a beautiful home here in Kauai that she rents to lucky guests like us! After checking in and taking a quick dip in the pool. We headed to the St. Regis Hotel overlooking Hanalei Bay for a beautiful dinner at Sunset to celebrate Dad's birthday! Dad called the view, "the most amazing view in the world!" We enjoyed dinner at the Makana Terrace. Guy and Noah both continued on their endeavor to find the best hawaiian fish, Guy selected Opah (a moon fish) and Noah picked Opakapaka (a snapper). Afterwards we headed back for a big piece of birthday "crust cake." Guy did have the good fortune of getting his birthday present from everyone, that Noah hid in his luggage for nearly a week-an Ipad 2!